


comfort food

by daikon23



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cooking, Cuddling, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, insomniac len, she a lil stupid though, smol bean rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27231802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daikon23/pseuds/daikon23
Summary: "it's three in the morning, why the fuck are you making mac n cheese?"
Relationships: Kagamine Len/Kagamine Rin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	comfort food

This is not how Len Kagamine imagined his day would start. Last thing he remembered was floating through dreamland before he was rudely awoken by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Wearily rubbing his eyes he mentally cursed his poor sleeping habits, he knew he had a hard time going to sleep due to his insomnia, but being a light sleeper didn't quite help his situation either.

There was a dull pounding in his head, and he contemplated just going back to sleep, then he remembered what day it was. And as if struck by lightning he scrambled to see what time it was, hoping that he hadn't overslept. Being a university student often came with interesting teachers, and he menatlly shuddered at what Mrs. Sakine would do to him if he came in late.

He felt relief which quickly morphed into annoyance when he glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table, the bright orange lights clearly spelled out 3:00am.

He was a little more than pissed off at this point but another bang from the kitchen and he silently resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be getting any sleep at all if he didn't figure out what was happening. Rolling out of bed he spotted his old baseball bat from when he was younger, really he was more of a soccer guy now but he couldn't deny that if there was an intruder, solid wood would probably fare much better than a ball. Clutching it tightly to his chest he carefully made his way out of the room.

Stumbling through the poorly lit hallway Len made his way to the kitchen, trying to make as little noise as possible. Making a sharp left as he reached his target destination he was confronted with the vague outline of what appeared to be some sort of blob. Instantly his mind went to all of those old sci-fi movies he used to watch with his dad where an alien lands on earth and comes into a human house. He shuddered as he recalled every time in those movies the alien would almost always be discovered in the kitchen….

Perhaps the lack of sleep was getting to him, he thought, shaking his head. Bat at the ready he quickly turned on the light only to see that it was not in fact a gelatinous alien that had invaded his kitchen, rather it was his roommate Kagami Rin, standing in the middle of what could only be described as a natural disaster, trying desperately to fix something that was on the stove.

Looking at the scene before him he wished he just stayed in bed.

Placing his bat down he tried his best to keep his voice level, "Rin, _what_ are you doing?"

Turning around to beam up at him as if she wasn't standing in what could be classified as a nuclear war zone the girl replied cheerfully, "I was trying to make mac and cheese."

There was silence between them, Rin seemingly oblivious to the tense aura emanating from the male across her.

"Mac and cheese," he deadpanned.

"Yup," came the cheerful reply.

Inhaling deeply Len pressed his hand to his forehead and started to wonder if his alien theory may not have been so far fetched after all.

"Rin, it's three in the morning, why the _fuck_ are you making mac and cheese?"

"Cause I was hungry."

 _Right,_ Len sighed, rubbing his temple.

Suddenly the unattended stove erupted into flames causing Rin to let out a panicked scream.

Upon seeing this Len immediately sprung into action, quickly grabbing a metal tray to his left and beating the fire with it, stifling the flames. After the heat died out, so did his adrenaline, and he was able to fully register what had just happened in the past few minutes.

Turning to the frazzled girl he sent her a look that conveyed all that needed to be said. _What just happened, how did it happen, it is three in the morning you twat go to sleep._

Wiping the smoke from her eyes the blonde looked up at him, then promptly burst into tears.

 _Woah_ , thought Len, _that was unexpected._

Eyes glistening she grabbed his shirt and began to cry, her words slightly muted by the tears running down her face.

"I'm so sorry I was just trying to make some mac and cheese but I can't and i'm so useless I can't do anything right and now you're awake and I didnt mean to and I don't deserve your forgiveness and I wish I was never born cause then at least you would still be sleeping and-"

She continued with her rambling her words becoming less and less cohesive as she went on. Soon her voice took on a much more forceful tone.

"-and none of this would've happened if THE GAS STOVE WASN'T SO HARD TO USE. WHO EVEN MADE SUCH A THING, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SETTINGS WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE 'CLICK HERE FOR HOT'? I BET EVEN I COULD MAKE SOMETHING BETTER THAN THAT PIECE OF JUNK AND I CAN'T EVEN ASSEMBLE IKEA FURNITURE-"

 _Woah_ , Len thought, slightly taken aback. What was going on? Wasnt she just crying a second ago how is she yelling and now her eyes are tearing up and _wait is she gonna cry again._

"-b-but I suppose it's u-useless anyway, with my luck the gas s-stove would just e-e-explode and cause another fire, why c-can't I do anything right-"

Grabbing her shoulders, Len just awkwardly held the shaking girl. Once her sniffles started to die down he deemed it safe enough to proceed.

However, before he could even get one word in Rin suddenly perked up and turned to him. "Hey you know how to cook right? You can help me make my mac and cheese!"

 _Huh_.

"I-i'm sorry, _what_ ," Len sputtered.

"Weren't you listening silly? I said you should help me make my mac and cheese. I mean you're already awake after all!"

Resisting to point out once again the fact that it was _three in the morning,_ Len instead decided to glare at the girl. His eye bags alone should be more than enough to get the message across.

Apparently not, for Rin then gave him the most blinding smile he had ever seen. In the few months he had been rooming with her, he had always known she was cute. How could you not? Small petite frame, big doe eyes, and a timid but bubbly personality. However in this moment, he couldn't help but think she was downright adorable. Her eyes were sparking with hope and her smile showed nothing but complete trust in him. He cursed his teenage hormones as he struggled to look away from the ball of pure serotonin staring right at him.

It didn't take long for him to break, and hanging his head in defeat, he nodded still looking away from her, "Yea, sure, whatever. I'll help you."

At his words she let out a squeal and jumped up to hug him, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Len-Len!" Still smiling she made her way back to the stove where she moved to get everything ready, brushing away the ashes of her failed attempt.

'Len-Len' wanted to smack himself. Why the hell did he just agree to do this? He could've made some excuse about needing to get up early and went on with his day but _no_ , now he's stuck helping a ticking emotional time bomb make mac and cheese at three am.

_Thats sad, beaten by puppy dog eyes of all things._

His thoughts were interrupted by Rin, "OK, so first I'm going to pour some vinegar into the tray."

Len nearly choked, " _Vinegar_."

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yea, to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the pan. I thought you knew that since you took that cooking class last semester?"

Now Len really did facepalm. _So this is why the fire started._ "Rin, I- do you even know how to make mac and cheese?"

Suddenly the girl looked uncomfortable. She started to shuffle in place averting his gaze.

Eyes narrowing, Len pressed on, " _Rin."_

Looking up at him the girl gave a sheepish smile. "No, not exactly. I kinda thought I would just make pasta and just dump a lot of cheese on top."

Len wanted to cry. What thought process was that? Pressing his month into a thin line he said, "Ok, well here's the first thing, you don't put vinegar into a pan. You butter it," picking up a stick of butter from the kitchen he made sure he showed her how to properly heat it before spreading it onto the tray.

"Ohhhhhh," Rin's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing! Can you put jam on a pan as well?"

Len's head dropped against the counter, this was going to be a long night.

. . . 

Things were going great.

Is what he told himself.

"Wh- Rin, why are you putting aluminum foil over the butter?"

"So the pasta doesn't stick to the pan," she replied, still carefully pressing the foil against the pan.

Ripping the sheet from her, Len threw the foil in the garbage. "Ok first of all that doesn't make any sense," Ignoring her betrayed look he continued, "And second, Rin, have you ever even tried to cook anything before?"

The girl froze and Len inwardly groaned. "W-Well," she shuffled her feet and looked up at him, "Watching Iron Chef counts, right?"

. . .

Len was working on cooking the pasta. Meanwhile he had given Rin the task of making the cheese sauce.

He saw her pull something from the fridge and his eyes widened,"Is that velveeta?"

Turning to face the noise, the blonde girl looked up.

"Uh yea. Why?"

Raising an eyebrow Len continued, "You do know that's not cheese right?"

"Huh?"

He sighed, god this girl was hopeless.

" _Look_ " he pointed to the packaging. "It's mainly just protein, milk, fat, and preservatives."

"But," Rin frowned, "I thought it was cheese."

Rolling his eyes Len replied, "But it's not. Well it used to be. Now it's really more of a cheese product than an actual cheese."

Puffing her cheeks Rin responded, "Well then who cares? Real cheese or not as long as it tastes fine we should be good, right? I don't see what so bad about it." Plucking the 'cheese' from the counter Rin began to grate it over the bowl..

Only to have Len tear it from her hands. Sighing softly he explained, "Yes you can make mac and cheese with velveeta, but it's a heavily processed product and it is ridiculously bad for you. Besides we have way better cheese in the fridge, and there's no way in hell I'm putting that in my body."

"Oh don't be a baby about it," Rin mirrored his exasperated expression, catching him off guard. Her bubbly yet shy demeanor had been replaced with one that matched his own, and he couldn't help but wonder if her legs hurt from all her emotional swinging.

Examining the velveeta one more time, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. This shit had enough fat to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction. Turning to the fridge behind him, Len instead opted to give her some parmesan and gruyere, a much better alternative to a pre-made heart attack.

Seeing Rin happily grab the actual cheeses, her original expression of unadulterated happiness coming back to her face, Len couldn't help but mutter under his breath; " _Honestly, do you ever check your ingredients before putting them in your mouth"_

Hearing that, Rin simply stuck her tongue out in response, "How was I supposed to know that? We're not all cheese nerds like you Len."

" _Cheese nerd-"_

_. . ._

Len watched on in awe as Rin poured a bunch of flour into the buttered pan, it was truly a sight to behold. All he could do was silently gape until eventually she turned to him, slightly confused.

"What?" she asked.

Taking a breath Len just continued to stare at the girl.

"Rin,"

"Yes?"

Another deep breath, "You're trying to make mac and cheese, _right?"_

"Yea," she responded, "I thought we already went over that?"

Gritting his teeth all Len could say was, "Then _why_ are you pouring _an entire box of flour_ into the pan?"

She blinked at him, then shot him another smile. Wiping her brow she replied, "The flour will make sure the pasta rises and isn't flat."

A pause.

" _Are you stupid?"_

Len was this close to downing the entire contents of a pill bottle. What kind of idiot pours flour into mac and cheese?

_This idiot apparently._

Rin for her part looked quite offended, but Len elected to ignore that. Continuing on with his thought he frustratedly yelled,

"What kind of logic is that? The flour will only encase the pasta you moron! Are you trying to make cheesecake? No! You're trying to make mac and cheese dumbass! I can somewhat understand the foil, but this is ridiculous even by your standards!"

Coming down from his high, panting slowly, Len finally looked at Rin, and froze. The girl was trembling and looked close to tears.

Quikly moving his hands words her Len started, "Wait Rin no, that's not what I-"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, _shit._

"I-Im sorry Len. I didn't mean to, I swear. I just-."

More tears.

Len stared at the girl. Normally she was just fine with insults, but here she was crying at what she would normally laugh at. What was up with her today…

Noticing that there was no other way around it, Len carefully gathered Rin into a hug. Sighing he said, "Look, I'm sorry ok? I just snapped that's all. Please don't cry, I don't like it when you cry…."

Sniffling softy Rin looked up at him. Even though the circumstances were ridiculous he couldn't help but feel his heart squeeze a bit when he saw her tear-stricken face. "You mean it?"

 _This is ridiculous_ , _I literally did nothing wrong, but she seems so upset.._ "Yes Rin, I do."

Wiping away her tears, Rin smiled up at him. Len graped her hand and quickly interlocked it with his own. He couldn't help but notice how small her hands were compared to his, much more delicate and soft…

Shaking his head of those thought Len offered her a half smile and continued softy about how _no, pasta can't really be flat, no, you can't just add flour into food in hopes that it will rise,_ and _that no, he doesn't really think she's stupid._

_. . ._

Len was getting nervous. Nothing had happened in the past ten minutes and it was putting him on edge. Things were going so right, _something_ had to be going wrong.

Taking a look at Rin, he noticed she was getting ready to mix in the cheese and pasta.

And then he saw it.

"Rin," he cried, "Why are you pouring so much water in?"

"The recipe says three cups of water, so I'm putting three cups of water. I can do some things right geez…."

Sighing to himself, (he was doing a lot of that today isn't he?) Len moved to take the pitcher out of Rin's hands.

"Ok I guess this one is not completely your fault, but still I thought it was common knowledge. You're not supposed to pour everything in at once Rin, the pasta becomes soggy otherwise."

Puckering her lips in an O shape Rin seemed to get the message, looking wearily at the amount of water she was about to pour into the mix, she couldn't help but flinch.

Noticing the change in facial expression Len put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Rin, like I said, this is actually a fairly common mistake-" _unlike everything else you did today_ , "-just be careful when mixing wet ingredients into dry ones, you'd be surprised at how little change is needed in a recipe to entirely change the outcome of the food."

Looking back up at him, Rin muttered a bit sheepishly, "Thanks Len, but uh…" trailing off he noticed a small hint of pink on her cheeks, though he figured that must be due to the time, "..Do you mind helping me pour it? I've never been good at measurements and I don't want to mess this up.."

"Oh uh ok…" putting his hand over her waist he directed her hands to the water pitcher.

"Is uh, this ok?"

"Mmmhm," Rin practically squeaked, quickly pouring the first portion of water into the pasta. Moving oh-so-carefully Len helped adjust her hands so she was properly holding the spatula. It was only then when the compromising position he was currently in registered in his mind. He was immediately thankful that he was positioned behind her so she couldn't see the flush that had just spread across his cheeks.

A clear voice broke him from his thoughts, "Is this ok?"

Jolting a bit Len relaxed when he realized that it was Rin who spoke.

"Y-yea, now you can start to add in some more water."

Nodding, Rin once again grabbed the pitcher, and thus the cycle started over again. Looking at the water pouring into the pan, then at Rin's tiny hands being guided by his own much bigger ones, he couldn't help but feel a certain pressure in his stomach. He felt his legs begin to wobble a bit and suddenly it was as if everything around him had disappeared. All he could think about was this feeling, and the odd sensations it was giving him.

It seemed that without him realizing Rin had already started to mix in the ingredients, tongue sticking out slightly as she concentrated in making sure every last drop of liquid was mixed in. His hands still lay limply over hers, as he unconsciously followed her every move.

Seeing the water slowly being folded into the mixture with her hands that were encapsulated by his own, Len felt the pressure in his core building up. It was demanding his attention, clawing at his insides ready to burst out.

_What was this feeling?_

Seeing Rin pour the final bit of water into the mixture, watching as the final droplets made their way into the cheesy goodness, he finally got his answer.

_He needed to pee._

_. . ._

Sighing in sweet relief as he uh… _did his thing,_ Len couldn't help but let his eyes wander around the bathroom. It was nothing special, but suddenly he was hyper-focused on the fact that he and Rin took showers in the same bathroom. He could see the shampoo she used that made her smell like oranges and cream tucked in the corner.

Geez girls really did have a product for everything he thought wryly, looking at the shelf built into the shower. On her side there was shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, face wash _wait aren't they the same thing_ , a few face masks, bodywash, and a whole bunch of other stuff he didn't even know the name of. Meanwhile in his corner of the shelf was his two-in-one hair wash and some soap. He would have laughed, had he not noticed something sticking out of the trash can, something that looked suspiciously like..

_Oh no._

Len was no expert in women, sure he had his fair amount of girls in his life, platonic and romantic, but he wouldn't call himself an expert in all things female. However, he was a proud little brother and therefore knew enough about the subject to make an educated guess on what the mystery object could be.

Finishing up his business he made his way to the bin to inspect.

His suspicion was correct.

There, sitting in full view, was Rin's bloodied pad, it didn't help that the blood appeared to be fresh judging by the vibrant color.

Speaking of blood, Len felt his run cold. He knew very well of the phenomena that happened every month or so, and the ridiculous feelings that often accompanied them. It all added up.

The cravings.

" _I was trying to make mac and cheese."_

The mood swings.

" _-and none of this would've happened if THE GAS STOVE WASN'T SO HARD TO USE. WHO EVEN MADE SUCH A THING, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SETTINGS WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE 'CLICK HERE FOR HOT'? I BET EVEN I COULD MAKE SOMETHING BETTER THAN THAT PIECE OF JUNK AND I CAN'T EVEN ASSEMBLE IKEA FURNITURE-"_

Face quickly turning red Len face-planted into the wall. How the hell had he missed the signs? In hindsight they were so _obvious_. Face ablaze, he grabbed some toilet paper in an attempt to hide the embarrassing object. It all made so much sense to him, he recalled one time when his sister had absolutely torn through all the ice cream in the fridge in under a week. He was well-aware of how sensitive girls were to the subject so the fact that Rin had attempted to hide it was completely understandable. Maybe that was why she was having such a hard time with the cooking…

" _The flour will make sure the pasta rises and isn't flat."_

No, he was pretty sure she just sucked at that in general.

Still, at least he knew why his outbursts had triggered such a different reaction from her. She was hungry and hormonal, he was lucky the most he got was a rude awakening and a few tears.

 _Well great,_ he thought, eyeing the trashcan one more time, _now I feel like an ass._

Washing his hands carefully, he left the bathroom educated and slightly traumatized.

. . .

Making his way back to the kitchen, he made sure to tread softly, lest he awaken the beast that he had miraculously avoided all night. He still had a small bruise on his left arm from when he ate a brownie from the kitchen, and his sister karate chopped his because apparently _she had been saving them._

Rounding the corner he found Rin putting the mac and cheese into the pan.

"Oh hey you're back," she said, turning around to greet him, "What took you so long?"

_I saw your bloody pad._

"Massive dump."

Stuffing slightly Rin eyed him weirdly.

"Uh-huh. Cool."

"Yep," he said, a little more confidence in his voice, "I had to shit. Massive shit. Colossal shit. Godzilla would be jealous."

Wrinkling her nose Rin turned away from him, "I'm going to try and forget you said that."

"Fair enough."

. . .

Rin had finished packing the cheesy deliciousness into the pan. Len couldn't help but marvel at their work. It looked pretty good considering the multiple redos and mishaps they had put it through.

The blond turned his head in time to see Rin already about to pop the whole thing in the oven.

"Uh Rin?"

"Yea?"

"What are you doing?"

She sighed dramatically, "What is it now Len?"

Smiling slightly he flicked her forehead, "You forgot to preheat the oven silly."

She cocked her head, "What's preheating? We already cooked the food, do we have to do it again?"

_Oh help me god._

"THE FUCK YOU MEAN 'WHATS PRE HEATI-"

Len stopped himself, already noting the tears building up in Rin's eyes. She looked so upset, like a puppy being scolded. He suddenly felt really bad, he had been on her case from the minute he woke up, and here she was dealing with what seemed to be a pretty rough week on her part, now having to deal with her roommate screaming at her for everything she did.

_Even though she should really know some of this shit by now._

Frowning slightly as a tear made its way down rin's face he moved to brush it away.

"Look I'm sorry ok."

"That's what you said earlier," tears were already threatening to fall from her face.

"I know ok? Look- I mean it this time."

He moved to touch her again, but she quickly shifted away.

Frowning as he watched as more tears fell from her eyes, he again tried to wipe them away, swatting away her hand when she tried to stop him

"Don't cry," he hushed, "I don't like it when you cry."

Raising her eyes so they met him, Rin's reply was the same, "T-thats, w-what you s-said l-last t-time."

Smiling slightly he hugged her, "I meant it last time too."

The two of them just stood awkwardly embracing in the kitchen, though Len didn't mind. He slowly rocked back and forth until the last of her tears dried up, and then squished her cheeks.

"Now I'll show you how to pre-heat food, just don't cry, ok?"

Rin pouted and tried to smack his hands off of her, but he only stretched them in opposite directions.

Len couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself, Rin looked so funny like this, eyes wet and pouty. He started to slowly move her cheeks around just to see how she reacted to his movement, and he was not disappointed as she continued to whine and paw at his hands, begging for him to stop.

"Not until you promise me you won't cry," he teased in a sing-song voice, pressing his hands together.

"Phine, I pwomise noth to crwi anymome"

He gave her face one last squeeze, and let go.

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?"

He was rewarded with an embarrassed squeal.

. . .

"You see, while you don't always have to preheat the oven, doing so will result in overall better food. If you don't you end up needing to cook the food for a longer period of time."

"Why didn't you preheat the oven before you went to the bathroom?"

"Because I-" he faltered. "I-"

"You?"

Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly Len let out a shaky laugh, "I uh, don't know actually. That's uh, yea, should've done that."

The shit-eating grin Rin sent him was enough to get the message through his head, and Len had the grace to look away.

Leaning closer to him, Rin's smile widened, something Len didn't think was possible. "Could it be," she asked in mock shock, "That Mr. Cheese Nerd himself has made a mistake? What has this world come to, I thought I was supposed to be the novice, how disappointing"

"Well at least I didn't try adding aluminum foil _on top_ of an already buttered pan."

"Hey that one made sense ok!"

"No it didn't," he blanked.

"Fine," she huffed, though Len could tell there was no malice in her actions, "I suppose that you were wrong twice today. Since you forgot to preheat the oven before, doing it now would be a waste of time."

Raising his eyebrow Len made to correct her, "Actually, it isn't."

"What."

Smirking, this time it was _him_ who lent in. "Yea Rinny, didn't ya know? Well obviously not cause you didn't even know what it was until now but still. Without preheating there might be a lack of steam in the food, which could stunt it's rising."

" _That's what the flour was for."_

" _No_ , and also, we worked really hard on this. We want the bread crumbs to brown completely, and that means preheating. Got it?"

Pouting slightly Rin reluctantly nodded her head, setting a fifteen minute timer for the food.

Chuckling, Len patted her head, "There there Rinny, you'll get your food soon. Just another forty five minutes."

She groaned.

. . .

To say he was amused would be an understatement.

He was well-used to surprises at this point, but he honestly hadn't expected this.

He poked her face again with no reaction. She was out cold.

"Geez Rinny," he mumbled to himself, "You were the one who decided to make mac and cheese at three am, why am I the one who has to stay awake?"

He warily remembered the near heart attack he had when just after a few minuets of waiting, she just randomly fell into his body. He hadn't really been paying attention to her as he had decided to finish up the book his Econ professor had assigned him while they were waiting, so it was quite a shock when he felt her limp body crash into his. He first instinct was that she had passed out, periods often came with horrible cramps, so it was not a stretch that she could've passed out from pain. After a few minutes of stuttering and calling her name to no avail, he ran to get his phone determined to call the hospital. It was only when he came back to check for vitals did he heard the tell tale heavy breathing coming from her lips. Of course he was extremely embarrassed and opted to not tell her about this particular incident when she woke up.

Glancing at the timer, he grinned at how quickly she had conked out, there was still a good eight minutes left.

_And that was just the preheating…_

A slight movement caught his attention, and he noticed that Rin had shifted closer to him in her sleep.

Carefully picking her up from the chair Len moved her to the living room, where he set her on the couch. Tucking some blankets around her, he brushed a small piece of hair out of her face.

He really did feel bad for yelling at her. She may have been ridiculously clueless in the kitchen, but he had made her cry.

_Three times._

Looking at his left arm thoughtfully he remembered something crucial about girls.

. . .

**omake:**

Rin woke up confused, and hungry.

She looked around trying to gage her surroundings, noting that she was currently nestled rather comfortably on her living room couch tucked under what seemed to be an extremely soft blanket.

She then noticed the two arms wrapped around her.

Shrieking loudly she almost jumped right off the couch, attempting to break free from the limbs wrapped around her.

Unfortunately whoever it was didn't seem to be fazed, instead opting to pull her closer while they took another bite of whatever they were eating.

"L-Len?"

Looking down at her as he chewed, the male was polite enough to swallow before addressing her.

"Oh hey you're awake," he said nonchalantly, poking around his bowl for some more of his food.

"Uh, y-yea," she said, still confused as to why he was acting so calm about this.

Sensing her discomfort Len shifted her position so she was facing him instead of the tv. It was only then that she could make out his smug expression and smug smirk.

Taking a deep breath Rin steadied her voice, as she tried to voice her thoughts as bluntly as possible.

"Len, why am I on your lap?"

His grin grew wider, "Ah, taking the direct approach aren't we?" she could've sworn she heard him mutter something about how that was the first time all day she had made sense, but when she questioned him he denied it.

Shrugging slightly, Len popped another bite of his food into his mouth, "Well I had finished cooking the mac and cheese, so I decided to come over here. You looked kinda cold so I bought a blanket and sat down next to you."

"Ok, but that doesn't explain _why I am on your lap."_

"Oh that?" He looked down at her with a smirk, "Well that was you actually."

"Huh?"

"Yep," he affirmed with a nod, "I was just watching my show and you just kinda plopped onto my lap. I guess you were still cold or something."

"A-ah," her face couldn't get any redder then it was at this moment.

"Speaking of cold," Len started suddenly. Getting a small jump from her, "Here," he handed her a bowl, "Eat your mac and cheese before it goes bad. I am not setting one foot back in that kitchen after what I just went through so eat it while it's hot."

Taking the bowl gratefully, Rin marveled at the dish.

"We made this?"

"Well really I made it," Len snorted, earning a small pout from Rin. Rolling his eyes playfully he gave her a small nudge, "But yea, I guess you helped too."

Smiling cheekily Rin asked, "So then can I make dinner for tomorrow then? As a thank you?"

"AHAHAHA, _no_." Len said wryly, stabbing the last of his pasta, "First prove to me that you can use one of those baking sets for kids and then we can talk about real food."

"You're so mean," Rin huffed, but still she couldn't help but smile. After all, he didn't have to stay up at three in the morning to help with cooking, even if her stomach was killing her. Insted turning her face to the TV she watched as one of the characters desperately tried to salvage his spilled chili. Normally she would've laughed at the stupidity of the scene, but instead she felt a strange sense of mourning for the food, _stupid hormones._

Taking a bite of her own pasta, she blew softly onto it, "What even is this show?"

Len who had finished with his food had taken to staring intently at the TV, "The Office."

" _The Office,"_ Rin repeated, "What's that?"

"It's a show about a bunch of idiots trying to get their shit together while working at a paper factory."

"Eh?" if anything, that explanation just made it more confusing.

"Just watch it, it'll make sense….."

Savoring the taste of cheese on her lips she watched as the guy started to shovel the chili back into the pot with some paper.

"...eventually."

The rest of the time passed with minimal conflict. Of course there was that one time where Rin had to go change her pad, but thankfully Len didn't ask too many questions. She had made it back to the couch and plunked herself right back on his lap where he quickly settled around her. They were both in a weird haze that came from being up at four in the morning, and so they thought nothing of the rather intimate contact.

It was only after she had finished her food she noticed Len had started to shift around uncomfortably. Rin thought nothing of it thinking that he was just trying to find a better position, but after one minute of adjusting himself, she knew something was up.

"Hey Len," she questioned.

"Yea?"

"Is everything alright? You seem a bit fidgety.."

"A-ah it's nothing really, it's just that…'' he took a deep breath, seemingly steeling himself for his next sentence "...do you mind if I get up for a moment? I have something I wanna show you….."

Tilting her head in confusion she slid off of him, "Uhh sure I guess…."

Nodding curtly he moved from the couch and made his way out the door. Rin couldn't help the small frown that appeared on her face. Had she gone too far? It was pretty late and all, and he had already done so much for her…..

Suddenly he came back, this time holding something against his back.

"So don't be mad…"

What. What could she possibly be mad at him for?

Inhaling through his nose he practically spit out his words, "SoyouknowwhenIwenttothebathroomwellIkindasawyourpadinthetoiletIswearI'mnotacreepitjustkindahappenedandIfeltbadcauseIknowwhatitcanbelikesoIbakedyousomeextrabrowniespleasedonthitme-"

She cut him off with a squeal. Jumping from the couch she practically tackled him in an attempt to get the sweet chocolate squares.

"Gimme gimme gimme gimme.."

Plucking her off of him Len continued, "So you're not mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad? You baked me BROWNIES for crying out loud."

Scratching his cheek in embarsembet Len gave a sheepish smile, "Well ya see, I kinda had a very temperamental sister who when it was ya know.. _her time…_ so I kinda know girls can be kinda sensitive about this kind of stuff.

"Lennn," Rin smiled, "It's not a big deal really, we only get mad when you make assumptions and poke fun at us for it. And besides, _you made me brownies._ "

"Yea I figured you would like those, my sister sure did. Anything chocolate really…"

She barely heard the rest of his sentence as she was too focused on the heavenly squares before her. She absolutely loved chocolate, even when she was off her period. Flushing a bit she ducked her head down a bit. Despite what she said, it really was kinda embarrassing to have Len find out about her problem... especially in that way.

Quickly stuffing one brownie into her mouth, she couldn't help but let out a small moan of satisfaction. It was so _good_ , whether that was the estrogen talking or if the desert was just that amazing she did not know.

A small laugh from Len shook her out of her musings, "Whaaat?"

"Nothing," he said ruffling her hair a bit, "It's just that you looked so emotional when eating the chocolate I couldn't help it."

"Hey Len?"

"Yes Rin?

"You know when I said that girls only mind it sometimes when guys talk about their periods?"

"Yes."

"Please shut up."

This got another laugh from him, and a small giggle from her even though she was only half-joking.

"Alright Mrs. Flour, let's get back to our show."

Nodding enthusiastically she waited till Len had made himself comfortable on the couch again before unceremoniously dumping herself on top of him, shoving herself against his chest. Len moved to bring a blanket over the two of them, then wrapped both his arms around her securing her position in his lap.

"Thanks Len," she said again. She really hoped he knew just how thankful she was, despite her indigance, even she could admit that she could be somewhat of a disaster in the kitchen.

"You can say that again."

Rin's cheeks flushed as she realized that she had said all of that out loud.

Smiling Len only pulled her closer, "But thanks I guess, even thought it was a massive pain, I guess it was kinda fun….."

"Are you saying that you liked cooking with me?"

"Well I wouldn't go that far…."

"Aww Lenny that's so sweet," she said, hugging him slightly, "You can teach me how to cook food just like you!"

She giggled as he let out a small grumble and turned to the TV, where Dwight or whatever his name was had rushed out of the door swinging a stapler on a quest to save some person.

She couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the fact that he hadn't said no.

Clapping her hands together she had an idea, "I know, I'll do the dishes tomorrow to make it up to you."

Stiffening a bit Len stuttered out, "N-no. I think I'll do them."

At first Rin was confused until she realized that he wasn't denying her offer out of courtesy, but rather fear of her messing the task up.

Smacking his chest slightly she whined, "I'm not that useless, I at least know how to do the dishes!"

"Oh really now?" Len rolled his eyes, clearly not believing her.

"Yea its simple, first you put the dishes in the dishwasher, then you put in a tide pod, shut the door and-"

She was cut off with his finger on her lips, looking up at Len she saw him grimace a bit, "Shut up and just watch the T.V with me, I'll teach you tomorrow."

Grinning again she nodded enthusiastically, leaving Len to wonder how she has survived thus far, much less how she made it into university. Still he found a small part of him was looking forward to her antics, and an even smaller part actually found them a bit cute.

After many laughs and the sudden dismay at the thought that they may one day be working at a job like that, the TV had been shut off in favor of some sleep, not that it would do them any good at this point.

Despite the circumstances, the two of them ended up snuggling with each other under the blanket. If she was more awake perhaps Rin might have minded, but right now she was tired, and Len was warm. It made perfect sense to cuddle with warm things, especially if said warm thing just made you food.

Letting out one last yawn she buried herself further into the blankets, "Thank you Len," she muttered sleeplity.

"Mmmmmn" he said back, eyes drifting closed, hugging her slightly towards him.

A few minutes had passed and he could hear her steady breathing, Rin was asleep. Marveling at her ability to just shut down, even when in immense physical pain, he found himself hugging her tighter, squeezing her tightly against him.

Soon enough he felt his own mind start to drift off, still cradling her tiny yet cozy body in his arms, Len couldn't help but feel as if he had found a solution to his insomnia.

. . . 

**A/N** : I had to do so much research for this, everything Len said relating to cooking is 100% true. And yes, the velveeta mac and cheese boxes at the stores don't have real cheese, and yes the ingredients are horrible for you. Just get aunt annes instead. 

And as a girl I can vouch for the bit about the period, if you give us food, we will love you. Each girl is unique, but i'm pretty sure that fact is just universal.

I am so confused cause here it says it's only about 6,919 words but both fanficion.net and google docs says it's around 7,000. 

Whatever, I'm gonna go make mac and cheese now.


End file.
